Liverpool are a huge club, with a fantastic history and a wonderful heritage. However it is being suggested that in recent transfer windows the Merseysiders have lost their appeal the best players.

This has led Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre to defend the club by insisting they are still capable of adding quality to their squad, despite not qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Liverpool have already been very busy in the transfer market, signing a host of new players, however, the names of Danny Ings and James Milner aren't exactly in the top bracket, despite their reliable abilities. The Reds have been also been linked with Christian Benteke for £32.5m, and the Aston Villa man does not quite fit into the elite level, too.

Liverpool did spend heavily last summer, with Reds boss Brendan Rodgers splashing out £110m following the sale of Luis Suarez, and despite being in the Champions League at the time, they did not really sign any players of major note.

However Ayre says that Liverpool won't look to sign stars of top ilk, instead younger players with re-sale value are their aim. Speaking at the League Managers' Association's magazine Ayre told The Manager "Like everyone else, I'd love to buy all the greatest players - regardless of price - but as we saw under the club's previous ownership, things can all go very wrong financially.

"You have to have a very detailed, thought-out plan and ensure everyone buys into it and adheres to it. That is what we have been doing and will continue to do.

"It doesn't mean we are not investing in or buying good players, we are just doing it in a smart and sustainable way".

They maybe not the words what Liverpool fans want to hear, but it is true, the sensible investment in younger players is something Liverpool will be best suited to at the end of day.

As, despite what Ayre says, Liverpool aren't the draw they once were, they simply will not be able to get the big names. The Reds rarely qualify for the Champions League - they have just once since the 2009/10 season - so they have to heavily rely on their history and stature to pull the big name signings in, and that isn't really enough.

Take Alexis Sanchez for example, Liverpool tried and failed to sign the Chilean last summer and Arsenal, a club with less of a history, won the battle because they can promise a level closer to the top of the Premier League and regular top-level European football.

Sanchez would have been a huge signing for Liverpool and he would have made a huge difference at Anfield, however, the Merseysiders ended up with Adam Lallana, a good player but just not quite in the same bracket as the Chilean.

It is these types of situations and signings that typify Liverpool in many ways, as they aren't a big enough draw when compared to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Man Utd, and that is this reason that they end up not quite at the top end. Of course they can sometimes find a diamond in the rough, like Suarez, however, it is not all that often hidden gems can be sourced.

Signings short of top quality also get you, inevitably, short of the top four and it is difficult for Liverpool to draw the best players to bridge that gap. However, an opportunity was missed last summer as £110m was wasted by Rodgers when he had the lure of Champions League football to draw players in, and whether he will get that as a draw again soon we don't know, but at the moment it looks unlikely.